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Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Vietnam - Vietnamese people pay unhealthy price for longer life

In Vietnam, increased longevity is not
necessarily indicative of good health. Photo by Nguyen Dinh Dang/VnExpress
Photo Contest

“We are
living longer, but we are living sicker."

In a
recent report by the World Economic Forum, Vietnam ranked at the 56th out of
138 countries in terms of average life expectancy, showing that life expectancy
in Vietnam has risen to 75.6 years due to economic growth and improved quality
of life.

The
world’s average life expectancy has increased by 21 years over the past 50
years while the life expectancy in Vietnam has soared by 33 years. But while
Vietnamese are living longer, they’re spending more time sick and disabled.

The
General Office for Population and Family Planning has calculated the country’s
healthy life expectancy at 60 years. That means senior Vietnamese citizens are
living with health problems for an estimated 15 years.

Increased
longevity is not necessarily indicative of good health.

Official
statistics show that people aged 60 or older currently represent about 10.5
percent of the country’s population of over 90 million, and 95 percent of them
are living with non-infectious conditions such as diabetes, high blood
pressure, strokes, osteoporosis and respiratory diseases.

“We are
living longer, but we are living sicker. A senior is spending an estimated 2.4
days each month sick from chronic diseases or preventable illnesses,” said
Duong Quoc Trong, head of the office.

Vietnam
is grappling with a surge in non-transmissible diseases, said Nguyen Thanh
Long, deputy health minister, adding that medical costs for the treatment of
non-communicable diseases are 40-50 times higher than the costs of infectious
diseases.

Official
statistics show that non-communicable diseases, mostly cardiovascular disease,
cancer and diabetes, cause 73 percent of deaths in Vietnam.

In
Vietnam, about 160,000 people aged between 30 and 70 die of non-communicable
diseases a year.

Lack of
physical activity is the fourth common cause of deaths as it can increase the
risk of non-transmissible diseases, according to a recent survey conducted by
the Ministry of Health.

The
survey also showed that Vietnamese people eat too much salt and not enough
fruit and vegetables.

Government
data also showed 70 percent of senior citizens don’t have a savings accounts
and 60 percent are financially insecure and living in poverty.